


Nth Contact

by calico_fiction



Series: little cuts [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Family, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-28 01:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20056105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calico_fiction/pseuds/calico_fiction
Summary: Dr. Strange thought he had made himself very clear about Loki's welcome on this planet.





	Nth Contact

**Author's Note:**

> I realized my continuity was suffering a tad bit, so I decided to split up Connect Five (deleted) into separate pieces.

Strange shows up just after dark on the day of Asgard's arrival on Earth.

Earth's political delegates and Tony Stark have long since gone after their initial greeting (a generous word), and now Asgard is taking a night to simply enjoy being landbound again after so long. There are clusters of people spread out all over the loping overgrowth that used to be Stark's Malibu home. They have set up lean-tos out of blankets and dulled weapons, or sticks if they have nothing else, and made wide circles of stones to house small fires. The air is filled with laughter and song and the smell of roasting meats and slightly burnt sugar. Thor has never camped out without being on some hunt or adventure before and it's a strange feeling for him to have no foes to shelter from and no where in particular to be in the morn. He plans to sprawl out on the grass and stargaze until he falls asleep, after he finishes with his self-appointed task to personally see to it that each one of his people is well - or as well as they can be, given their circumstances. Loki has decided to join Thor in this, though he has taken on the task in his snake form. Perhaps out of embarrassment to be seen doing something so caring, or perhaps simply out of laziness, as he has wrapped himself about Thor's shoulders to be carried.

Strange steps out of his apparently trademark circle of flying sparks, his dusty and spacious home visible behind him before it closes, blocking Thor's way as he moves from one cluster of his people to the next. Thor, as it happens, is looking forward so eagerly to his stargazing that even if he weren't already predisposed to be a little prickly toward Strange, after Strange had treated him with such impatience when they first met, he would still be irritated with Strange's interruption. Strange gives their surroundings the most cursory of glances. The muscle in Thor's jaw visibly twitches, he knows, when he grinds his teeth in response to Strange's disregard. At this rate, Kingship will have Thor toothless by summer. The magician's gaze is much sharper as it travels along the smooth coils of the snake across Thor's shoulders. Loki hisses quietly and flickers out his tongue, long enough that Thor can see it past his chin from the corner of his one good eye.

"I see you didn't keep your word about keeping him away," Strange says. His expression is flat, but his tone speaks of some authority. It rankles. And that's nothing to say of how irksome Thor finds it that Strange bothered to see Loki for himself despite his current form but couldn't deign to use his name.

"As I'm sure you can also see," Thor counters, with a pointed smile. "There have been some extenuating circumstances." He gestures around them at the sparse population of Asgard in their cobbled together tents. Strange does not so much as blink in their direction.

"Loki is one of the greatest threats to this planet, and it is my job to see that threats are... dealt with," Strange says. It's not quite a threat, but even if it were Thor is not so easily threatened. He likes to rise to a challenge like that. He bounces his shoulders a little, making Loki have to writhe around slow and steady to keep his balance across them.

"Well, he can hardly bring about much destruction like this," Thor points out with a cheerful grin, boyish and carefully empty. Loki makes another noise, something like laughter. Thor can't blame him, really; it's a ridiculous claim. Loki could cause worldwide chaos in the form of a housefly, if he set his mind to it - to say nothing of the fact that as a natural born shifter he can change his form whenever he pleases. "Wouldn't you say?" Strange purses his lips and narrows his eyes. Thor only holds his guileless-looking expression. He is very practiced with it and he can easily keep it up for far longer than he'd guess Strange has to sit around staring at it.

"Fine," Strange finally concedes reluctantly. "But I'll be keeping a very close eye on you." Thor is unconcerned to be lumped in with Loki now. Loki may still lose his shit and make the unfunny kind of mischief, but Thor thinks it very unlikely. And if that comes to pass, Thor will come down upon Loki then just as he did before, as necessary. Either way, their relationship, malleable loyalties, and states of mind are their own business.

"We'll do our best to provide ample entertainment," Thor says. That is not quite a threat either, but it can be readily taken as one. Thor delivers it in the exact same airy and jovial tone that he's used for the rest of this conversation, but he's glad to let Strange hear it as he likes. He brushes past the magician to continue on to the next small encampment of Asgard in the round.

"I would _strongly_ prefer it if you didn-" Strange calls after them, aggrieved. Thor interrupts him with only a lazy backwards wave over his shoulder as he continues on.

"Bye-Bye," he dismisses, echoing Strange from their first encounter. He feels Loki's nose brush past his neck as his brother twists to look behind them at Strange, no doubt managing to make himself look well-fed and smug despite currently having no humanoid features. Strange sighs very loudly, and then with the near-silent crackling of his sparks he is gone.

"One down," Thor mumbles tiredly. He brushes two fingers affectionately over Loki's smooth, flat head. "Five to go."

**Author's Note:**

> Come chill with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/penlex)!


End file.
